


Solace

by Cookabeara



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, Fluff, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:08:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28003671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cookabeara/pseuds/Cookabeara
Summary: Cold days are better spent inside than out. Warmth comes in the form of a room, some blankets, and someone you cherish.
Relationships: Petra Macneary/Bernadetta von Varley
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	Solace

**Author's Note:**

> I could not include this as part of another fic because the pov is swapped, so! It gets its own post all to itself. Fitting for the season though, I hope? I just really wanted them to cuddle...

Petra had learned many new things while residing in Fódlan. Perhaps one of her least favorites was finding out how different the climate was. The winter months were cold. It drove her to train harder, so that she could stave off the shivering brought on by the cold air.

As much as she wanted to remain outside, she simply could  _ not  _ stand the temperature. It wasn’t like she didn’t have plenty of books to keep herself occupied in her room, perhaps curled up under a blanket, but she was rather resentful of the fact that she was almost  _ forced  _ inside.

There was a certain individual that she knew, however, that probably loved an excuse to keep herself shut away where it was cozy and warm. It just so happened that this certain individual was on her way back to her safe haven, sprinting across the monastery grounds as if she were being pursued by a large animal.

Bernadetta halted in her tracks when she spotted Petra in front of her own dorm room door. Bernie’s typical prey-like demeanor disappeared, replaced with something a bit more assertive and motherly.

“Petra!” she gasped, rushing forward to take her hands into her own gloved palms. “You’re shivering! You shouldn’t be out here with so little clothing.”

“I was not going to be staying out for very long,” Petra attempted to justify. Though, now she found herself aware of how much her legs were shaking.

“Come on, I’m gonna warm you up, Petra.”

Before Petra could even begin to form an argument, Bernadetta was guiding her to her door.

It wasn’t often anyone was invited into Bernadetta’s room, so Petra felt rather special in that regard. The floor was littered with books, which Bernadetta quickly gathered and stacked in the corner. Next, she pulled Petra toward the bed and invited her to sit.

She realized she was much more unprepared than she thought when she noticed the number of blankets Bernadetta owned. One of many was swiftly draped over her lap, and another was wrapped around her shoulders.

“There! Bernie will keep you warm,” Bernadetta said with a giggle, peeling off her gloves to cup either side of Petra’s face. “You’re freezing! How long were you outside? Take a lesson from Bernie this time and stay in! You’ll get sick!”

“Ah. I am sorry, Bernie. Please do not be worrying about me so much.” Petra swallowed. Honestly, she wasn’t used to being fussed over so much. She couldn’t tell if her cheeks were tingling from the cold or because she was blushing.

Well, the contact was  _ very  _ nice, which left her disappointed when Bernadetta removed her hands.

“How long must I be remaining here?” Petra quickly asked. She hadn’t been there very long, but she was already getting antsy. Her leg bounced underneath the blanket, boot heel hitting the floor in rapid taps.

“Until you stop shivering, at least. I’m sorry! I must have pulled you away from something  _ really _ important, huh? Stupid jerk Bernie—”

“I was only going to be reading. That is...a good thing to be doing when keeping warm, yes?”

“O-Oh! Yes! I read a lot, too! Uhm...maybe we can...together?” The suggestion came out way slower than Bernadetta’s eyes widening at her own utterance. “N-Nevermind! That’s stupid—”

“I would be liking that. To read with you, Bernie.”

“...really?”

“I would like to be reading with you, Bernie,” she repeated, hoping to assure Bernadetta that she truly meant what she said. “Sometimes when I am reading I am struggling with the words...but I can be learning them from you.”

“Yeah? Yeah! That’s a great idea! Okay, let me find something you’ll like.”

Petra watched Bernadetta scamper to the pile of books she had moved a moment ago, dropping onto her knees to sift through the stack. She paused to run a hand through her purple curls, tugging at them and letting them fall back against her head in coily tangles. Petra knew to take this as a sign to anticipate a nervous question.

“Do you, uh,” Bernadetta, as predicted, began to stutter. Her finger began to wind up a bundle of hair that would soon be freed to join the rest of her curls in a delightful little bounce. “Do you like romance? I-It’s fine if you don’t, I just—”

“I do,” Petra answered with a smile, heart skipping a beat in time with her answer. Her leg was bouncing again as she leaned forward, excited to see what book Bernadetta was deciding on.

When Bernadetta returned with the book clasped firmly in her hands, she seated herself beside Petra. The book was placed at her side before Petra could even get a look at the cover. She raised an eyebrow when Bernadetta moved to remove her boots.

“We should, uh...get comfortable, right?” she explained.

With a quick “ah” of understanding, Petra slid her own boots off and shifted herself beside Bernie, who had made herself comfortable against the headboard in the meantime. Giggling, Bernadetta reached over to pull the blanket that had slipped from Petra’s lap over the two of them.

“We can both keep warm like this,” Bernadetta stated, resting her head on Petra’s shoulder as she flipped to the first page of the book. With a hum, Petra let her head fall against Bernie’s. Her hair was just like she imagined it would feel, she thought, clutching the blanket tightly so that she would not give in to the urge to reach over and play with it.

The story was similar to some Petra had read before; a hero, a princess, a curse...not that she minded the trends and tropes in Fódlan’s popular tales. They were always exciting, and this particular story especially so. Though that probably had to do with the way Bernadetta was reading it. Her constant change in tone and the way she emoted as she recited each line of dialogue was absolutely mesmerizing. Petra had shifted in her seat to lean in and get a better look at Bernadetta’s face.

Her intense staring did not go unnoticed, and once again Bernadetta shied away and dropped any look of confidence she had.

“I-Is something wrong? The story is bad, isn’t it—”

“No. I am enjoying the story a great amount! You are fun to watch when you read, Bernie.”

“O-Oh. S-So my face is fine? No...food on it, or anything?”

“No food. Just Bernie’s cute face,” Petra told her with a grin, anticipating the embarrassed blush and the darting of eyes she elicited. A nervous hand left the page and weaved its way into the purple tangle by Bernadetta’s right ear.

“Don’t tease me,” Bernadetta whined.

“I am only saying the truth. That was why I was giving you— er, uhm.” No, not the phrasing — it would be horrible if she were to be misunderstood  _ now _ . Petra furrowed her brow. Ah. “That was why I was staring at you.”

“R-Right.”

Bernadetta finished messing with her hair before she returned her attention to the book in her lap (though not without a quick glance in Petra’s direction) to find where she left off. Her words were shaky at first, but soon she was speaking each of them with as much passion as she had before. It was like a performance put on just for her.

There was another pause, and once again Petra saw the confidence in Bernadetta’s face falter. Her finger began to twirl her hair. Was there another question coming?

“Do you think it’s, uhm...strange to think about what it must be like to have someone rescue you? All locked up. Forced into solitude…” She cleared her throat. “...even if that happens to be a personal choice…”

“I do not think that is strange,” Petra answered firmly. The next part came out without any forethought. “I was wanting that rescue for myself once.”

Bernadetta’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

Clearing her throat, Petra slowly nodded. “Yes. When I was in Enbarr. Being locked away was...lonely...scary…”

She squeezed the blanket, watching it bunch up into her fists.

“...you mean you never felt...safe? Like that? Away from people.”

She shook her head, still staring at her hands instead of Bernadetta’s face. A gasp.

“I’m sorry, that was really inconsiderate of me! T-To suggest that. I’m sorry.”

“It is fine, Bernadetta. We do not have the same understanding, but that is not something that is offending to me.”

“R-Right. Well,” Bernie spoke again, shifting nervously in the corner of Petra’s eye. “You’re not alone anymore. You have us, right?”

Finally, she turned to her left. Brown eyes met grey, and Petra smiled.

“You are right.” Her eyes widened. In one swift motion, she released the blanket and placed a hand over Bernie’s. Staring right into Bernie’s startled eyes, she spoke again. “And you are also not needing to be alone. You have us, also. You are not needing to remain locked up.”

A red hue rushed to color in Bernadetta’s pale features. As her eyes darted away, she sank into a frown. A sigh slipped out through her nose.

“I...suppose. I just don’t know if I’m ever going to get out.”

“Then maybe I can be here to do the rescuing.” She felt Bernadetta squeeze her hand. “If you are allowing me.”

Bernie giggled. “I don’t think I’ve heard a story yet about a princess rescuing a recluse.”

“You can be writing one.”

“I guess I could...with your help?”

“Of course I will be helping you,” Petra said with a grin. Now Bernadetta was smiling.

“Thank you, Petra. You’re so sweet. I’m...sorry that I kind of dragged you in here.”

“You were only...uhm...oh! Yes. You were only looking out for me, Bernadetta. I guess you were also the one doing the rescuing.”

“...yeah? Yeah! Bernie will protect you from the cold! Don’t worry, Petra!”

“I believe you, Bernie,” Petra replied with a chuckle.

“Yeah? Well, watch this!”

The book was set aside, allowing Bernadetta to grab another blanket and wrap it around her own shoulders. With a grunt, she wiggled to nestle herself between Petra and the headboard.

“What is it you are doing?” Petra asked as another layer of blanket was draped around her, along with Bernadetta’s arms.

“I’m the Bernie Blankie,” Bernadetta answered, the presence of a proud smile evident in her voice.

“The Bernie Blankie is very warm,” Petra murmured, giggling and allowing herself to lean back into Bernadetta’s embrace.

Perhaps the new sitting arrangement was too cozy. It was hard to keep her eyes open to follow the words on the page that Bernie was reading. Petra had forgotten what it felt like to be held by another. If solitude was like a loving and enveloping embrace to seek in a cold world, then maybe it was understandable for Bernadetta to be so reluctant to leave it. But the outside was not always so cold.

The last thing Petra was aware of before drifting off to sleep was the sound of a closing book and a squeeze around her waist.


End file.
